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4.9 ResearchGate and the Academic Social Network Sites: New Environments for New Bibliometrics?

  • Enrique Orduña-Malea and Emilio Delgado López-Cózar
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Handbook Bibliometrics
This chapter is in the book Handbook Bibliometrics

Abstract

The objective of this work is to identify the main features of ResearchGate as an academic social network and its potential for research evaluation. To do this, first the birth of academic social networks in general, and ResearchGate in particular, are described. Next, a literature review about ResearchGate is carried out, showing the main topics covered by literature. Then, the general features of ResearchGate are identified and categorized, as well as all the metrics and indicators provided, broken down by entity. Finally, the main limitations and shortcomings of Research- Gate to be used as a bibliometric tool are synthetized. As a conclusion, our findings show potential of ResearchGate as a database (great coverage of documents, growing number of active users, and a wide variety of metrics). Nevertheless, it cannot be currently used for research evaluation due to several shortcomings (irreproducible indicators or lack of professional search/export features). These limitations are mainly derived from the ResearchGate business model, which is intended to be employed as a tool to enhance worldwide connectedness among researchers on the one hand and as a marketing tool to disseminate research-related ads and events on the other.

Abstract

The objective of this work is to identify the main features of ResearchGate as an academic social network and its potential for research evaluation. To do this, first the birth of academic social networks in general, and ResearchGate in particular, are described. Next, a literature review about ResearchGate is carried out, showing the main topics covered by literature. Then, the general features of ResearchGate are identified and categorized, as well as all the metrics and indicators provided, broken down by entity. Finally, the main limitations and shortcomings of Research- Gate to be used as a bibliometric tool are synthetized. As a conclusion, our findings show potential of ResearchGate as a database (great coverage of documents, growing number of active users, and a wide variety of metrics). Nevertheless, it cannot be currently used for research evaluation due to several shortcomings (irreproducible indicators or lack of professional search/export features). These limitations are mainly derived from the ResearchGate business model, which is intended to be employed as a tool to enhance worldwide connectedness among researchers on the one hand and as a marketing tool to disseminate research-related ads and events on the other.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. Introduction 1
  5. 1 History and Institutionalization of Bibliometrics
  6. 1.1 A Historical Overview of Bibliometrics 7
  7. 1.2 Institutionalization and Professionalization of Bibliometrics 19
  8. 1.3 Eugene Garfield and the Institute for Scientific Information 27
  9. 1.4 Derek De Solla Price: The Father of Scientometrics 41
  10. 1.5 Coevolution of Field and Institute: The Institutionalization of Bibliometric Research Illustrated by the Emergence and Flourishing of the CWTS 53
  11. 1.6 International Conferences of Bibliometrics 65
  12. 2 Theory, Principles and Methods of Bibliometrics
  13. 2.1 Peer Review and Bibliometrics 77
  14. 2.2 Jurisdiction of Bibliometrics 91
  15. 2.3 National Research Evaluation Systems 99
  16. 2.4 The Mathematical Embedding of Bibliometrics 107
  17. 2.5 Bibliometrics in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 117
  18. 2.6 Relationship between Peer Review and Bibliometrics 125
  19. 3 (Classical) Indicators
  20. 3.1 Measuring the Impact of Research – from Scholarly Communication to Broader Impact 135
  21. 3.2 From Simple Publication Figures to Complex Indicators: Bibliometrics and the Dilemma of Methodological Correctness, Significance, and Economic Necessity 149
  22. 3.3 The Journal Impact Factor: A Bibliometric Indicator with a Long Past 159
  23. 3.4 The h-index 169
  24. 4 Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics)
  25. 4.1 The Future Has Already Begun: Origin, Classification, and Applications of Altmetrics in Scholarly Communication 181
  26. 4.2 History, Development and Conceptual Predecessors of Altmetrics 191
  27. 4.3 Social Media and Altmetrics 201
  28. 4.4 Altmetric.com: A Brief History 215
  29. 4.5 PlumX Metrics (Plum Analytics) in Practice 221
  30. 4.6 PLOS Article-Level Metrics 235
  31. 4.7 Eigenfactor 245
  32. 4.8 Academic Social Networks and Bibliometrics 255
  33. 4.9 ResearchGate and the Academic Social Network Sites: New Environments for New Bibliometrics? 265
  34. 4.10 Mendeley 281
  35. 5 Applications, Practice and Special Issues in Bibliometrics
  36. 5.1 An Ecology of Measures and Indicators: Bibliometrics in Resource Allocation 291
  37. 5.2 Benchmarkings and Rankings 299
  38. 5.3 Technological Trend Analysis 311
  39. 5.4 Research Collaboration and Bibliometric Performance 319
  40. 5.5 On the Need for Accessibility, Standardization, Regulation, and Verification in Bibliometrics: The Leiden Manifesto and Beyond 329
  41. 5.6 Gender and Bibliometrics: A Review 335
  42. 5.7 Visualization of Research Metrics 365
  43. 5.8 Regional Distribution of Research: The Spatial Polarization in Question 377
  44. 5.9 Bibliometrics and Co-Authorship 397
  45. 6 The Data Basis in Bibliometrics
  46. 6.1 Web of Science, Scopus and Further Citation Databases 409
  47. 6.2 Expanding Dimensions: A New Source in the Bibliometrician’s Toolbox 421
  48. 6.3 The Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC): The Construction and Application 431
  49. 6.4 Institutional Repositories and Bibliometrics 455
  50. 7 Teaching and Training
  51. 7.1 Institutions for Bibliometric Qualification 465
  52. 7.2 Bibliometrics in the Curriculum 475
  53. 7.3 The Competent Bibliometrician – A Guided Tour through the Scholarly and Practitioner Literature 485
  54. 8 The Future of Bibliometrics
  55. 8.1 The Future of Bibliometrics: Where is Bibliometrics Heading? 499
  56. 8.2 Open Science and the Future of Metrics 507
  57. List of Contributors 517
  58. Index 527
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110646610-027

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. Introduction 1
  5. 1 History and Institutionalization of Bibliometrics
  6. 1.1 A Historical Overview of Bibliometrics 7
  7. 1.2 Institutionalization and Professionalization of Bibliometrics 19
  8. 1.3 Eugene Garfield and the Institute for Scientific Information 27
  9. 1.4 Derek De Solla Price: The Father of Scientometrics 41
  10. 1.5 Coevolution of Field and Institute: The Institutionalization of Bibliometric Research Illustrated by the Emergence and Flourishing of the CWTS 53
  11. 1.6 International Conferences of Bibliometrics 65
  12. 2 Theory, Principles and Methods of Bibliometrics
  13. 2.1 Peer Review and Bibliometrics 77
  14. 2.2 Jurisdiction of Bibliometrics 91
  15. 2.3 National Research Evaluation Systems 99
  16. 2.4 The Mathematical Embedding of Bibliometrics 107
  17. 2.5 Bibliometrics in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 117
  18. 2.6 Relationship between Peer Review and Bibliometrics 125
  19. 3 (Classical) Indicators
  20. 3.1 Measuring the Impact of Research – from Scholarly Communication to Broader Impact 135
  21. 3.2 From Simple Publication Figures to Complex Indicators: Bibliometrics and the Dilemma of Methodological Correctness, Significance, and Economic Necessity 149
  22. 3.3 The Journal Impact Factor: A Bibliometric Indicator with a Long Past 159
  23. 3.4 The h-index 169
  24. 4 Alternative Metrics (Altmetrics)
  25. 4.1 The Future Has Already Begun: Origin, Classification, and Applications of Altmetrics in Scholarly Communication 181
  26. 4.2 History, Development and Conceptual Predecessors of Altmetrics 191
  27. 4.3 Social Media and Altmetrics 201
  28. 4.4 Altmetric.com: A Brief History 215
  29. 4.5 PlumX Metrics (Plum Analytics) in Practice 221
  30. 4.6 PLOS Article-Level Metrics 235
  31. 4.7 Eigenfactor 245
  32. 4.8 Academic Social Networks and Bibliometrics 255
  33. 4.9 ResearchGate and the Academic Social Network Sites: New Environments for New Bibliometrics? 265
  34. 4.10 Mendeley 281
  35. 5 Applications, Practice and Special Issues in Bibliometrics
  36. 5.1 An Ecology of Measures and Indicators: Bibliometrics in Resource Allocation 291
  37. 5.2 Benchmarkings and Rankings 299
  38. 5.3 Technological Trend Analysis 311
  39. 5.4 Research Collaboration and Bibliometric Performance 319
  40. 5.5 On the Need for Accessibility, Standardization, Regulation, and Verification in Bibliometrics: The Leiden Manifesto and Beyond 329
  41. 5.6 Gender and Bibliometrics: A Review 335
  42. 5.7 Visualization of Research Metrics 365
  43. 5.8 Regional Distribution of Research: The Spatial Polarization in Question 377
  44. 5.9 Bibliometrics and Co-Authorship 397
  45. 6 The Data Basis in Bibliometrics
  46. 6.1 Web of Science, Scopus and Further Citation Databases 409
  47. 6.2 Expanding Dimensions: A New Source in the Bibliometrician’s Toolbox 421
  48. 6.3 The Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC): The Construction and Application 431
  49. 6.4 Institutional Repositories and Bibliometrics 455
  50. 7 Teaching and Training
  51. 7.1 Institutions for Bibliometric Qualification 465
  52. 7.2 Bibliometrics in the Curriculum 475
  53. 7.3 The Competent Bibliometrician – A Guided Tour through the Scholarly and Practitioner Literature 485
  54. 8 The Future of Bibliometrics
  55. 8.1 The Future of Bibliometrics: Where is Bibliometrics Heading? 499
  56. 8.2 Open Science and the Future of Metrics 507
  57. List of Contributors 517
  58. Index 527
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